The technology was created by Costner's brother, with the actor pumping in $US20 million over 15 years. While 40,000 barrels worth of oil is leaking into the gulf of Mexico each day, the V20 machine can clean up 200 gallons of water a minute.

Horrendous the spill disaster may be, but it's terrific well-known personalities such as Costner and James Cameron are leaping forward with possible solutions to clean up the gulf. [ABC via The Guardian]